2020 GENERAL ELECTION VOTING PRIMER - Huntington ...
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2020 GENERAL ELECTION VOTING PRIMER
Editor's note: The City of Huntington's communications office reached out to all of the local candidates who will appear on the
upcoming ballot, and the summaries below use the candidates' own words as much as possible. Some edits for length have been made.
The City's goal is to provide relevant background information to residents, and a candidate's inclusion on this list should not be
considered an endorsement. Information on candidates for statewide offices has been adapted from the website listed.
OFFICE CANDIDATE PARTY WEBSITE AND CONTACT INFORMATION
GOVERNOR ERIC HOLCOMB is the current governor of Indiana and a U.S. Navy REPUBLICAN Website: https://holcombforindiana.com/
veteran. He is seeking re-election for a second term. His platform
includes workforce development for the 21st century, maintaining
and building the state’s infrastructure and balancing the state’s
budgets.
GOVERNOR WOODROW MYERS is a physician and former Indiana State Health DEMOCRAT Website: https://drwoodymyers.com/meet-woody/
Commissioner. His platform includes improved access to health
care and reducing prescription drug costs. He has said he’ll work to
diversify Indiana’s economy and restore education funding.
GOVERNOR DONALD RAINWATER II is a U.S. Navy Veteran who has pledged to LIBERTARIAN Website: https://www.rainwaterforindiana.com/
veto any efforts to increase taxes in Indiana and to abolish the state
income tax. He supports Constitutional Carry gun laws and the
decriminalization of medical and recreational marijuana.
LIEUTENANT SUZANNE CROUCH is the current lieutenant governor, a state REPUBLICAN Website: https://www.facebook.com/LGSuzanneCrouch/
GOVERNOR representative for House District 78 from 2005 to 2014, and the
state auditor from 2014 to 2016. In her political career, Crouch has
served on the state Public Health and Ways & Means committees.
LIEUTENANT LINDA LAWSON was a state representative for House District 1 DEMOCRAT Website: https://drwoodymyers.com/meet-linda-lawson/
GOVERNOR from 1998 to 2018. She was the first female officer for the
Hammond Police Department, where she later served as police
captain. In her political career, Lawson has supported efforts to
advance social justice and equality and improve public schools.
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM HENRY is a U.S. Army veteran who served active duty LIBERTARIAN Website: https://lpin.org/william-henry-bio/
GOVERNOR deployments to Afghanistan and Kuwait. His professional
background is in communications and public relations, and he
currently serves as chairman for the Indiana Chapter of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He has said he will
work to strengthen ethics and corruption laws, advance care for
veterans and reform state cannabis laws.
UNITED STATES JIM BANKS is the current U.S. representative from District 3, and he REPUBLICAN Website: https://jimbanks.us/
REPRESENTATIVE - is seeking re-election to a third term. Banks serves in the U.S. Navy
DISTRICT 3 Reserve as a Supply Corps officer, and he was a member of the
Indiana State Senate from 2010 to 2016. The Family Research
Center has recognized Banks' pro-life voting record, and the
National Rifle Association rates him highly on Second Amendment
issues. Among his top priorities are strengthening the economy,
rebuilding the military and caring for veterans.
UNITED STATES CHIP COLDIRON is a public school teacher, U.S. Army veteran and DEMOCRAT Website: https://www.coldiron4congress.com/
REPRESENTATIVE - former healthcare worker. He supports health care reform through
DISTRICT 3 a "Universal Coverage Guarantee" and increasing the federal
minimum wage to $15 per hour. He has spoken in opposition to
privatizing Social Security.
INDIANA ATTORNEY TODD ROKITA is an attorney who has twice been elected Indiana's REPUBLICAN Website: https://toddrokita2020.com/
GENERAL Secretary of State and was a member of Congress from 2011 to
2019. He helped put Indiana's Voter ID law in place and successfully
defended it before the U.S. Supreme Court. He has said he will
make upholding the rule of law and supporting law enforcement a
priority.INDIANA ATTORNEY JONATHAN WEINZAPFEL was a state representative in the Indiana DEMOCRAT Website: https://www.weinzapfelforag.com/
GENERAL General Assembly before serving two terms as mayor of Evansville,
Ind., from 2004 to 2011. Most recently, he helped lead Ivy Tech
Community College as chancellor for six years. Weinzapfel has said
he will protect Hoosiers' access to health care, promote the use of
body cameras and expand law enforcement training, decriminalize
marijuana possession and advocate for public education.
INDIANA HOUSE OF DANIEL LEONARD has represented Huntington County and parts of REPUBLICAN Website: https://www.indianahouserepublicans.com/
REPRESENTATIVES - Wells and Allen counties in House District 50 since 2002. He members/general/dan-leonard/
DISTRICT 50 formerly owned South Side Furniture in Huntington. He is endorsed
by the National Rifle Association and serves on state committees
for Rules and Legislative Procedures; Ways and Means; Judiciary;
and Employment, Labor and Pensions. Economic development and
job creation are among Leonard's top priorities.
INDIANA HOUSE OF JORGE FERNANDEZ has worked in science education in multiple DEMOCRAT Website: https://www.candidatefernandez.com/
REPRESENTATIVES - Fort Wayne public school districts for more than five years, after
DISTRICT 50 graduating from Taylor University with a Bachelor's of Science in
Chemistry. Fernandez has said he will work to protect education,
voting rights and the environment while focusing on ethics and
transparency.
JUDGE OF THE JENNIFER NEWTON is a lifelong Huntington resident who is raising REPUBLICAN Email: jennifer.newton@huntington.in.us
HUNTINGTON COUNTY her family here, and she said wants to see her hometown continue
SUPERIOR COURT to grow and prosper. She was selected by then-Gov. Mike Pence in
November 2016 to serve the remaining four years of retired Judge
Jeff Heffelfinger's term. Previously, Newton had served as
magistrate for the Huntington Superior Court for 12 years. She also
initiated a Drug Court in January 2016, and in her next term would
focus on bringing more substance abuse help for people with
addictions problems to Huntington County. Newton earned her law
degree from Indiana University's Robert H. McKinney School of Law
and has served on the Parkview Regional Corporate Compliance
Committee and is a current board member for the Parkview
Huntington Hospital Board of Directors.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY BRENDA HAMILTON is currently a Deputy in the Huntington County REPUBLICAN Email: brenda.hamilton@huntington.in.us
TREASURER Treasurer's Office and has been employed there since 2005. She
previously was the County Treasurer from 2009 to 2016. Prior to
that, she was employed for 26 years at First National Bank in
Huntington. If elected, she said her top priorities would be
communicating with taxpayers regarding property taxes, investing
tax dollars, following Indiana code and maintaining checks and
balances between offices.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY ROD JACKSON is a retired two-term Huntington County Sheriff and REPUBLICAN Email: rod.jackson@huntington.in.us
CORONER U.S. Navy Veteran. Presently, he is the Chief Deputy Coroner for
Huntington County and holds a medical death investigator
certification. He is seeking election to the position of Huntington
County Coroner, where he says he would focus on assisting
residents during times of personal loss and continuing to properly
investigate deaths to determine the exact cause and manner of
death. He stated his goal is to maintain the highest levels of
professionalism in both the Coroner's Office's investigations and
personal interactions with Huntington County residents.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY TERRY STOFFEL is a former two-term Huntington County Sheriff REPUBLICAN Website: https://www.facebook.com/terry.stoffel.9
COMMISSIONER - and describes himself as a conservative Republican who is willing to Email: terry.stoffel@huntington.in.us
DISTRICT 2 listen to both sides. He has lived in Huntington all his life, where he
has owned several businesses and worked for the City and County
in numerous law enforcement capacities, including patrolman,
police chief and D.A.R.E. instructor. He currently teaches the
criminal justice program at Huntington North High School's Learning
Center. His main goals are working for all Huntington County
citizens while bringing together City and County elected officials to
best manage tax dollars.HUNTINGTON COUNTY TOM WALL was first elected to this role in 2008 and now serves as REPUBLICAN Website: www.facebook.com/TomWallHCC
COMMISSIONER - the Huntington County Commission President. He describes himself Email: tom.wall@huntington.in.us
DISTRICT 3 as dedicated to welcoming citizens with open conversations and Phone: (260) 358-4822
positive solutions, and he strives to find the most effective and cost-
efficient practices to serves taxpayers. Wall says he will continue job-
creation efforts and capital investment to attract and retain
business in Huntington County; maintain county buildings and roads
in the best condition possible; and work with the courts and
Sheriff's Department to increase available mental health and
addiction recovery services. Wall is a lifelong resident of Huntington
County and the president of T.D. Wall Inc. since 1985. He represents
the Huntington County Commission on the Lime City Development
Committee and serves on the Region 3A Development & Regional
Planning Commission (president), Indiana Association of County
Commissioners (vice president), Huntington County Redevelopment
Commission (vice president), Huntington County Solid Waste
District Board (president), Huntington County Drainage Board
(member) and Community Corrections Board (member).
HUNTINGTON COUNTY SHANE BICKEL is a lifelong Huntington resident and retired REPUBLICAN Email: shane.bickel103@gmail.com
COUNCIL AT LARGE Huntington Police officer of 35 years. He first won election to the Phone: (260) 358-7110
(vote for 3) Huntington County Council in 2008 and is seeking a fourth term. In
his time as a County Councilman, Bickel has worked to support and
grow the Huntington County Sheriff's Department and responsibly
spend tax dollars to save taxpayers money. In the next four years,
Bickel says he will work to ensure Huntington County has ample
police and fire protection, maintain roads and retain county
employees.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY RON KLINE is a lifelong Huntington County resident who describes REPUBLICAN Email: ron.kline@huntington.in.us
COUNCIL AT LARGE himself as a conservative Republican. He is the current County
(vote for 3) Council president and is running for a second term. His priorities
include saving tax dollars wherever possible and holding local
government officials accountable for spending. Previously, he was
employed at Bendix in Huntington for 10 years and operated
"Handyman Service by Ron Kline" for 13 years.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY TERRY MILLER is running for a second term on the Huntington REPUBLICAN Website: Terry.Miller.ISellHomes@gmail.com
COUNCIL AT LARGE County Council. Previously, he served as a Huntington Township Email: terry.miller@huntington.in.us
(vote for 3) Board Member. His priorities remain making sure the County Phone: (260) 519-3777
provides important services to Huntington County taxpayers while
keeping taxes as low as possible. An area Realtor and member of
the Huntington Planning Commission, Huntington Development
Plan Commission and Huntington County Redevelopment
Commission, Miller says he strives to represent Huntington with
honesty and integrity. He describes himself as a lifelong Huntington
resident who wants to give back to the community he loves. Miller
attended Huntington North High School and graduated from
Huntington University.
SCHOOL BOARD - JASON CONWELL has lived in Huntington County for the past 16 NON- Email: j_conwell@yahoo.com
DISTRICT 1 years and with his wife, Cara, has three children in the Huntington PARTISAN
County school system. Conwell is actively involved in the
community as an assist scout master for Boy Scout Troop 130 in
Huntington. He has worked in the field of engineering for 17 years
and is currently employed in Albion, Ind., as an engineering
manager. He says his primary goal is to bring a renewed voice for
fiscal responsibility to the School Board that he believes has been
missing the past several years. He will strive to create a positive and
safe learning environment for students while operating within the
limitations of the budget to achieve short- and long-term targets
that are reasonable to the taxpayers of Huntington County.SCHOOL BOARD - MATTHEW MELCHER was first elected to the HCCSC School Board NON- Email: mmelcher1@hccsc.k12.in.us
DISTRICT 1 in 2016. Melcher has worked as a dispatcher for Stephan DRP PARTISAN
Trucking in Roanoke, and he said before the 2016 election that he
would bring a common sense approach to the School Board. Before
his first term, Melcher said he would work to ensure students
receive a comprehensive curriculum capable of preparing them for
today's job market. Melcher also has stood for fiscal responsibility
in his role the School Board, saying that being a steward of
taxpayer's hard-earned money is a top priority. (We were unable to
reach Melcher and the information included comes from a 2016
Huntington County Tab news article.)
SCHOOL BOARD - TIMOTHY ALLEN is a lifelong Huntington resident and the current NON- Website: www.facebook.com/thefirsttoolman/
DISTRICT 4 District 4 school board member. Allen and his wife, Penny, have PARTISAN Email: tim.allen@huntington.in.us
three grown children who attended HCCSC, and one of their
grandchildren currently attends. Allen says HCCSC teachers and
faculty deserve recognition for how they have handled the
challenges of the past four years, in particular 2020, and he feels a
responsibility and desire to continue serving on the School Board to
help and support them. Keeping students and staff safe, providing a
quality education and addressing infrastructure concerns are his
top priorities. Allen has served in leadership roles with numerous
organizations in the county, first as a volunteer at the YMCA, the
Red Cross, Trinity United Methodist Church and the City of
Huntington Parks & Recreation Department, then as YMCA sports
director for 15 years. He previously worked for the Public Safety
Dispatch for the City of Huntington and is now Director of Public
Safety Dispatch for Huntington County.
SCHOOL BOARD REED CHRISTIANSEN was appointed and then re-elected to the NON- Website: www.facebook.com/reedchristiansenboardmember
DISTRICT 4 District 7 seat in 2016. He is now seeking election to the seat for PARTISAN Email: rchristiansen@hccsc.k12.in.us,
District 4, where he currently resides. He has focused on lowering
textbook fees, responsible acquisition and use of 1:1 technology,
and increased compensation for teachers and staff during his term.
A Huntington University alum (2010) and current Huntington
University MBA candidate (2021), Christiansen works as a global
product manager in extremity orthopedics.
SCHOOL BOARD KEVIN YARGER is the current District 6 school board member and NON- Email: kyarger@hccsc.k12.in.us
DISTRICT 6 co-owner of Huntington Nursery & Florist. He is seeking re-election PARTISAN
for a second term. He describes himself as a firm believer in and
supporter of public education. In his first term Yarger has worked to
raise wages for teachers and staff, right-size the district, improve
district facilities and lower textbook rental fees.
SCHOOL BOARD JAMES "RYAN" WALL is a lifetime resident of Huntington County NON- Email: jryanwall@gmail.com
DISTRICT 7 and a graduate of HCCSC and Purdue University at West Lafayette. PARTISAN
Wall has served on many boards throughout the community,
including Huntington County Boys & Girls Club, Huntington City
Historic Review Board, Huntington County Community Corrections
and the Pathfinder Foundation Board. Wall says he will apply the
leadership, long-term strategic planning and fiscal management
skills he has learned by serving on these boards to help the
Huntington County Community School Board.
RETENTION OF JUSTICE CHRISTOPHER GOFF was appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court Website: https://www.in.gov/judiciary/supreme/2583.htm
OF THE SUPREME by Gov. Eric Holcomb and took the oath of office as Indiana's 110th
COURT OF INDIANA justice on July 24, 2017. He previously served as a Huntington
County public defender, president of the Huntington County Police
Merit Board and vice president of the Huntington County Bar
Association. He then served as a judge on the Wabash County
Superior Court from 2005 until his appointment to the Indiana
Supreme Court.COURT OF APPEALS CALE BRADFORD was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Website: https://www.in.gov/judiciary/appeals/2458.htm
JUDICIAL RETENTION Mitch Daniels and has held the seat since Aug. 1, 2007. Previously
SECOND DISTRICT he was a judge on the Marion Superior Court for 10 years. In that
role, he chaired the Marion County Criminal Justice Planning
Council, which explored ways to improve the county's response to
criminal justice problems, including jail overcrowding. He also
served in the Marion County Prosecutor's Office for two years and
Assistant United States Attorney for the South District of Indiana
for five years.
COURT OF APPEALS ELAINE BROWN was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Website: https://www.in.gov/judiciary/appeals/2449.htm
JUDICIAL RETENTION Mitch Daniels in May 2008 and won a statewide vote to retain the
FIFTH DISTRICT seat in 2010. Previously she was a trial court judge for more than 15
years, where she focused on substance abuse issues and initiated
the DuBois County Alcohol and Drug Program. She is the recipient
of the 2020 Indiana Lawyer Distinguished Barrister Award.
COURT OF APPEALS MELISSA MAY was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Frank Website: https://www.in.gov/judiciary/appeals/2451.htm
JUDICIAL RETENTION O'Bannon in April 1998. She had previously practiced law for 14
FOURTH DISTRICT years with a focus on insurance defense and personal injury
litigation. May has served on a number of associations and
committees, most recently becoming a member of the American
Board of Trial Advocates in 2015. She retained her Court of Appeals
seat in a 2010 statewide vote.
COURT OF APPEALS MARGRET ROBB is the first woman elected Chief Judge in the Website: https://www.in.gov/judiciary/appeals/2448.htm
JUDICIAL RETENTION history of the Indiana Court of Appeals. She was first appointed in
FIFTH DISTRICT July 1998 by Gov. Frank O'Bannon. She had more than 20 years'
experience practicing law at the time of her appointment. She also
has been an officer for the Indiana State Bar Association, among
many others. Robb was retained on the Court of Appeals in votes in
2000 and 2010.You can also read
